Corbyn: Bloody Sunday charges right and proper

Jeremy Corbyn said it is right that members of the armed forces are held to account for incidents during the Troubles after a British soldier was charged with murder over Bloody Sunday.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Mar 2019, 07:20 BST
Updated 18th Mar 2019, 08:26 BST
Jeremy Corbyn said it is right that members of the Armed Forces are held to account for incidents during the Troubles after a British soldier was charged with murder over Bloody Sunday. Photo: Jonathan Brady/PA WireJeremy Corbyn said it is right that members of the Armed Forces are held to account for incidents during the Troubles after a British soldier was charged with murder over Bloody Sunday. Photo: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
Jeremy Corbyn said it is right that members of the Armed Forces are held to account for incidents during the Troubles after a British soldier was charged with murder over Bloody Sunday. Photo: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

The Labour leader said the “law must apply to everyone”, and denied that there was a discrepancy between the investigations into soldiers after republican suspects were sent “comfort letters” offering effective immunity from prosecution.

It came after the Public Prosecution Service said there was enough evidence to prosecute a man, known as Soldier F, for the murders of James Wray and William McKinney at the civil rights march in Londonderry in 1972.

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Speaking on Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday he said: “The law must apply to everyone, and I don’t think we should have statutory limitations on this.”

Mr Corbyn said “we should have a fair and proper judicial process” and said what happened on Bloody Sunday was “awful and appalling”.

He added: “I do think it’s important to have the independence of a legal process, and there has to be an insurance that everyone has to abide by the law.”

He was pressed on whether it was fair given how those members of the IRA suspected of crimes were offered an amnesty in the Northern Irish peace process.

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The Labour leader replied: “The Good Friday Agreement was important, seminal and complicated, but it does not provide complete immunity for everyone, it was never intended to.”

Labour’s shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti criticised the comments of Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson in support of Soldier F, when he said the government would pay his full legal costs and added: “Our serving and former personnel cannot live in constant fear of prosecution.”

She told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show she approves of anyone accused of serious crimes getting “full, complete five-star legal aid”.

But she added: “It’s not about wannabe prime ministers who are currently defence secretary giving coded messages of support to one defendant or another, its about saying anybody who’s been charged with murder, which is the most serious offence in our law, should get the best possible defence and it should be paid for by the state.”

Related topics:Gavin WilliamsonJeremy CorbynLabour